Dammnit Jim, I’m a Writer not a Developer!
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Oops. Sorry. After 12 hours of reading code and playing with changes, then enjoying that wonderful sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach when the system decides my changes are not what it wants to do, I’m having a time getting my brain back into the world of the living. One of these days I am going to remember to save original copies of files before I muck them up. Organizational skills why have you shunned me?
Since I am running pell mell into yet another quixotic endeavor I haven’t done much writing. I’m lucky in that my current clients are on a regular two week schedule that allows me some flexibility, but as anyone who knows web development can tell you, two weeks is NOTHING when it comes to bringing an online idea to life. I’m working towards a three week development period, but to be honest, that’s not very realistic. Judging from the answers to my last post, there is a great deal that folks want out of working online, and they aren’t getting it. Well, maybe to an extent, but it’s clear it could be a whole lot better. This of course means I have a lot of things to cover if I’m going to have a chance at knocking this windmill over.
On top of that, who the hell am I to think I can make a difference in something as huge, important, and complex as online employment? That one I can answer. I’m one of those looking for that difference. I’ve been hitting that wall of disappointment and frustration and frankly, as thick as my skull is, it can’t take the pounding. It shouldn’t be that hard. It shouldn’t cost a ton of money. It should be fair. But right now it’s a ridiculous morass of inconsistency and throat cutting idiocy. $5.00 an article Charlie, I’m gunning for you!
Don’t worry, I’m not going to design a cutesy button to look like a wound on your website and ask you to join any ridiculous movement. I wouldn’t even know what to name it. Arlo Guthrie I am not. I’ve gotten a ton of help just from you the readers willingness to slog through my last posts questions and humor me as I ride headlong towards stomach churning, inevitable, flaming balls of predestined disaster my date with success. I’ll beg for help later when I’m ready to bare my soul and new project to the world.
I will say though that I can’t remember a time where I worked so much. In all seriousness, we are talking an average of 10-12 hours a day spent sitting in front of the computer doing three things at the same time. I’ve watched the sun come up at least three times in the last two weeks and the cat is going neurotic from the screwy hours I’m keeping. Which leads me to softball this post and simply ask, how many hours a week do you spend on your online work? Do you keep track and average your time out to an hourly income rate? Does it even matter?
And with that I’ll take my leave and open up this new batch of code I just got. An innocuous looking file, it’s sitting on my desktop containing within its folder a couple thousand lines of script just begging me to screw it up. How could I possibly pass up such an opportunity to boost my blood pressure?
I saw your title at Sherryl’s KeepUpWithTheWeb.com and laughed. (Now you can guess my age). I came here and saw the picture and laughed harder. But after reading your article I laughed harder still.
I have another site I’ve worked for years as part of my other business. My wife asked me once, “Why do you call it PartTimeTrader when you work 16 hours a day?”
My reply was that I work so hard so that one day it *will* be part-time. She didn’t buy it, I fear.
Hang in there. The only words of encouragement I can give is that it will most likely get worse before it gets better.
Cheers, mate!
Rick
Thanks Rick. That’s really, er, depressing;)I’m pretending not to realize that if things go well I’ll be even busier. I’m pretending that if it does take off I can hire hordes of third world workers for pennies to handle everything. I’m pretending that I’ll sell it for six figures two months from now and get my little shack in the woods. Denial, it’s a wonderful thing.
Sounds like you’re deep in “code-land” Paul. Don’t forget to come up for air and nourishment. As they say on Big Brother (yes I admit to watching reality TV – it’s my guilty pleasure), you have to “expect the unexpected” when you run into quixotic endeavors.
You asked how many hours I spend a week on my online work. I’m estimating 50 to 60 hours a week depending on whether I take 1 or 1 1/2 days off. I don’t even want to think what my hourly rate is. A lot of my online “work” is researching ideas and strategies and then implementing them. I have so many balls in the air right now, my head is spinning. The only clients I could charge for a lot of my hard work would be myself and my husband. I expect our payback to be in the future when we’re retired and sitting back with all that residual income coming in. (A woman can dream, can’t she?)
I’m looking forward to seeing your completed project.
Yup, I sure am Sherryl. Nothing every works they way you want it to right out of the box, and I’m one of those who can’t do it all himself, but knows enough to really get in there and screw it all up.
We have the same dream apparently. Early retirement. Is it even real, or something made up to keep us squirrels gathering nuts?
Most likely about 12 hours a day give or take a few hours for a break, food, bathroom, run after the son, shopping. Hourly income rate? Heck I can’t get people to buy me a coffee little own pay me for my skills.lol
It seems I am in good comapny then Rose. If it weren’t for forced breaks for food and trips to the restroom I think my hands would eventually fuse permanently to the keyboard.
I can SO relate. I spend more hours here than there are in a day… and a night. I am bleary-eyed and nauseated. My hourly rate is less than a dollar. I am even dreaming in tags and hitting compile as I awake, bleary eyed again.
But it’s such FUN. Hmmm?
With my tongue firmly in my cheek, I tap things out: some in English, some in HTML, some in gobblety-gook.
We’re all writers, Paul. But we have other stuff to do as well, and that’s the problem.
I’m sitting here with 3 hours sleep under my belt, again at it. I sometimes hate that my productivity would probably triple if it weren’t for the fact that I not only have to write the content, but put together everything it takes to get it presented the way I want. But on the other hand, the bonus is that it DOES get done MY way.
Paul,
That’s a hilarious Star Trek reference and photo. It takes me more time than I’d like just to figure out how to change my blog. I can’t imagine going as deep as you are in the code. Thanks for sharing and keep up the good work.
Best regards,
Chris Paulsen
Oh boy I know how you feel. I am a web developer by day, and I can tell you juggling the creation of 5 websites for clients at the same time, running 4 of my own with blogs, and keeping up with kids leaves about 5 hours a sleep a night on a good day. I’m just hoping to be rich enough to hire a maid one day so I could regain a bit of sanity back and stop looking like a raccoon zombie. Nothing ever seems to take the short amount of time you think. I have learned to double my estimated time to complete something to factor in a disaster or two…whether it’s a website issue or just having to stop to steam clean a carpet my four year old spilled juice all over. Aaa..life is fun. :)